How to Prevent House Flies

Shoo Fly…Don’t Bother Me!  How to Prevent House Flies

House flies get their name because they’re the most common fly found in homes (genius, right?).  They aren’t very adventurous creatures…usually staying within 2 miles of where they were born.  Of course like with all species, you have you’re “wild ones” who have been known to go in search of food up to 20 miles away from their birthing place.

Unlike other beings that use their tongue to taste, house flies use their feet.  And talk about a sweet tooth, errr sweet foot, house flies feet are 10 million times more sensitive to sugar than the human tongue.  That may be “sweet” for them but it’s not so sweet for us humans.  House flies have been recorded to carry over 100 kinds of disease causing germs.  This can be a great threat to the health of your home.  So what can you do?

How to Prevent House Flies

  • Keep a clean home.  Clean up spills immediately.  Sweep, mop, and vacuum frequently.
  • Take out the trash.  Remove trash from the home on a regularly.  Make sure that trash is placed in a tightly sealed garbage container.
  • Keep food stored.  Store food in tightly sealed containers (including pet food).
  • Don’t forget the pets.  Clean up pet waste.  Also, don’t leave pet bowls out…flies don’t discriminate between pet food and human food.
  • Cover up.  If you enjoy having doors or windows open make sure to use screens to keep flies from entering.

Do you have problems with flies?  Call a professional to inspect your property to find the source of your house fly infestation.

 

Source: NPMA

Prevent Ants This Spring

PREVENT ANTS FROM MARCHING ONE-BY-ONE INTO HOMES THIS SPRING

Northwest Exterminating shares five simple steps to prevent ants this spring

As weather conditions improve, ants will soon begin to enter homes in search of food and water. Northwest Exterminating encourages homeowners to take proactive steps to reduce the likelihood of seeing these nuisance pests in your garage or crawling across the kitchen counter in the coming weeks.

Ants often infest kitchens and bathrooms, but homeowners may also encounter them in cooler spaces like basements, garages and around air conditioning units. The key to preventing ants from finding a way inside is to eliminate harborage sites around the property.

Experts from the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) recommend the following five simple steps that homeowners can do today to thwart an ant infestation.

 

  1. Block off access points. Take time to inspect the outside of your home for cracks and crevices, paying special attention to areas where utility pipes enter. Seal any small holes or gaps with a silicone-based caulk. Keep tree branches and other shrubbery well trimmed and away from the structure.
  2. Eliminate sources of water in and around the home. Indoors, routinely check under sinks for areas of moisture and repair any leaky pipes. Consider using a dehumidifier in damp basements, crawl spaces or attics. Outside, ensure that downspouts and gutters are functioning properly so that water flows away from the home’s foundation.
  3. Keep a clean kitchen. Wipe down counter tops and sweep floors to remove crumbs and residue from spills. Store food in sealed containers, and keep ripe fruit in the refrigerator. Also, make sure to dispose of garbage regularly.
  4. Don’t forget about the pets. After mealtime, keep pet bowls clean and wipe up any spilled food or water around them promptly. Store dry pet food in a sealed plastic container rather than the paper bags they often come in, which can be easily accessed by ants, rodents and other pests.
  5. Work with a pest professional. Eliminating ants can be a challenge without the proper treatment. Some species of ants, like carpenter ants, can cause serious property damage while others can pose health threats. If you see ants in your home, contact a licensed pest professional to identify the species and recommend a course of treatment.

For more information on ants or other common household pests, please visit www.callnorthwest.com.

 

Source: PPMA

Lyme Disease Cases Much Higher Than Previously Reported

According to new information gathered by the CDC the number of lyme disease cases is 10 times higher than the 30,000 cases each year that has previously been reported.  Because not every case is reported, recent efforts have uncovered that the number of lyme disease cases is about 300,000 each year.  The CDC is conducting 3 complimentary studies to improve their count of lyme disease cases.

how to remove a tick

How to Properly Remove a Tick
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To prevent tick bites:

  • Avoid thick areas of vegetation.
  • Wear long sleeves, long pants, and shoes that cover your feet when going outside.
  • Use insect repellant such as DEET.
  • Bathe as soon as possible when returning from being outside.  This allows you to find ticks easier.
  • Check yourself for ticks from head to toe, especially in your hair.  Make sure to check your children when they return from being outside.
  • Check any jackets, hats, bags, etc. that may have come into contact with ticks.
  • Dry clothes on high heat to kill any ticks on clothing and/or accessories.
  • Talk to your veterinarian on the best solutions to keep ticks away from your pets.
  • Check your pets when they come in from being outside.
  • Immediately remove ticks if found on a human or a pet. Find out How to Remove a Tick.
  • Keep grass cut and vegetation trimmed to reduce areas for ticks to call home.

For more information on Lyme disease visit the CDC.

For more information on how to control ticks visit Northwest Exterminating.

 

 

Virtual Home Tour to Help Keep Pests Out

Homeowners often look for tips on how to keep pests out of their homes.  Our blogs are often filled with tips from Northwest Exterminating on common approaches to keeping your house clean, sanitary, and with minimum clutter for keeping bugs out.

www.whatisipm.org offers an interactive home tour that can be used as a guide for you, along with your pest professional, to keep bugs from becoming an issue in and around your home.

The home tour offers great tips such as vacuuming frequently, wiping down counters, and inspecting luggage before bringing it into the house along with other helpful tips.  We strongly encourage you to visit this site and see how you can prevent bugs from calling your house, HOME.

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Flea Prevention & Facts

How can something as small as a flea be such a huge pain?  Pet owners are all too familiar with the annoyance of fleas because they make us AND our pets miserable.  Fleas attach themselves to warm-blooded animals (pets and humans) and feed on their blood.  A flea bite can cause discomfort, painful, itchy red bumps and can lead to an allergic reaction.  In some cases, they can even transmit diseases like the bubonic plague, murine typhus and transfer tapeworms in pets.

To prevent fleas from becoming a pest in your home, clean and vacuum frequently.  A clean home is a healthy home and will aid in the prevention of other pests as well.  Cleaning will help to remove any fleas and their eggs.  Maintaining a clean yard is just as important, especially if you have pets that go outside often.  A well kept lawn with no debris or pet droppings will reduce the flea population around your home.  Bathe pets regularly and apply a flea and tick treatment.  Most importantly, call a professional exterminator if you have fleas in your home.  A flea infestation can be very difficult to get rid of and is best left to the professionals so the problem does not continue to grow.

Interesting Flea Facts:

  • The largest recorded flea measured almost ½ inch!
  • Fleas consume 15 times their weight in blood each day. That is like a 140 lb. woman eating 8,400 burgers in one day!
  • Fleas are the number one cause of allergies in cats and dogs.
  • Fleas can live for about 100 days.
  • Fleas don’t fly, they jump.
  • A pair of fleas can produce 400-500 offspring in their lifetime.
  • A flea can jump up to 8 inches high or 150 times its own height.

Got a flea problem?  Call Northwest Exterminating for professional, effective flea control.

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